AT&T buys AlienVault to boost enterprise protection

10 JUL 2018

AT&T inked a deal to acquire cybersecurity company AlienVault for an undisclosed sum as part of a bid to strengthen defences for business customers.

In addition to offering a set of tools to detect and mitigate threats, AlienVault is also known in security circles for its Open Threat Exchange, a platform allowing researchers and professionals to gather and share data about new or ongoing threats.

Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T’s Business unit, said the deal will unite AlienVault’s threat intelligence expertise with the operator’s protection portfolio to “improve our ability to help organisations detect and respond to cybersecurity attacks”. AT&T added it will continue to invest in AlienVault’s Open Threat Exchange and unified security management platforms.

AlienVault counts regional US operators Bluegrass Cellular and Hawaiian Telcom among its customers.

The move comes amid a heightened focus on security and privacy, as digital attacks on businesses of all sizes continue to increase.

A September 2017 study from the Ponemon Institute, sponsored by Keeper Security, found 61 per cent of small- and medium-sized businesses had suffered breaches in the previous 12 months, up from 55 per cent in the year to September 2016. The institute also found the quantity of data stolen in the average breach nearly doubled to 9,350 records.

Author

Diana Goovaerts

Diana joins Mobile World Live as its new US Editor, reporting on infrastructure and spectrum rollouts, regulatory issues, and other carrier news from the US market. Diana comes to GSMA from her former role as Editor of Wireless Week and...